Realization- A Delena FanFiction
by TVDEmily
Summary: Elena Gilbert has finally realized her feelings for Damon Salvatore are more than just a phase. But when Damon is captured by two new Vampire hunters, Elena's strengths are truly put to the test. Elena must find all the answers she needs. Why do the hunters want her? Who is Ajax Salvatore? In this FanFic written by me, all these questions and more will be answered.
1. Chapter 1

Elena sat in her room, finally alone with her diary for once, her knees tucked up to her chest as she glanced down at her last entry.

~Dear diary. Things are finally getting back to normal again. Me and Stefan are fine, it seems like his "ripper" phase is over.. for now at least. Rebekah has been a real pain but I think that's due to her jealousy of me and Stefan. I'm also confused though, I thought my feelings were sorted through after Stefan saved Matt for me the night I became a vampire, but somehow my mind keeps coming back to Damon. Sometimes when i'm with Stefan I start thinking about the other Salvatore brother. The worst part is I don't mean to, nor do I want to - at least, I don't think I want to. The truth is, I'm confused. Half of me says that Damon has changed.. and hes better for me after my change. Vampire Elena is a totally different person that human Elena. Damon knows and respects whats best for me.. I'm just so confused. I don't know what to do~

She closed her diary and placed it and the blue pen on her nightstand. She ran her delicate, manicured fingernails through her hair, and poured a glass of bourbon from a bottle she stole from Damon's liquor cabinet. He wont notice, Elena thought. He only has about fifty bottles of the stuff. Elena took a sip and shuddered at the burning sensation. They were right, it did take the edge off the cravings, but sadly, not enough. She stood up and made her way down the hallway to the staircase, making her way downstairs to the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Inside there were three blood bags- Elena decided to take her chances with one this time. She couldn't bother Matt this late at night. That's another thing that screwed up because of her change, her sleep schedule. Elena sat at the kitchen island and cut open the top of the bag with a pair of scissors, pouring it into a crystal glass. She heard footsteps down the hallway and expected to see Jeremy. She turned to look and froze when She saw who it really was. Damon Salvatore.

Elena let out an involuntary gasp. He just smirked at her.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, looking over his facial features, not realizing she was biting her lip. His perfection stunned her even now. "I don't recall inviting you over."

His mouth curled up in a wider smirk.

"And I don't recall letting you take any of my liquor, but you did it anyways."

Elena stopped, knowing this one was a battle she was going to lose.

"Its late, Elena, why are you awake?" his eyes slid over to the glass of blood on the island, his eyes lighting up just a touch. "Midnight snack?"

Elena sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, is there a problem with that?" She asked, frowning. He shook his head.

"No, no problem at all, Elena. but that stuff is not going to curb your appetite. You're a new vampire, you need something more fresh" She shook her head.

"No, Damon.. This is fine."

He shrugged. "fine, whatever you prefer."

Elena nodded and took a sip from her glass, Elena's eyes never leaving Damon, His eyes never leaving hers.

And then the tension was building.

Just like every other time they were alone.

They looked at each other for what seemed like minutes, hours, hell it could have been days. Time escaped them and Elena's glass slid out of her hand, spilling a mess of red and broken glass over her nightgown, the counter top and the floor, but even through the clang and clatter, Elena's eyes still never left Damon's. She stood and he froze, unsure of what was coming next. Now the tension was tangible. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, She could hear the pounding of her own heartbeat, as well as the pounding of his.

In sync.

In that moment, Elena and Damon were linked by something bigger than either of them could understand.

In that inkstand Elena was moving towards Damon, and Damon was moving towards Elena. Time stopped. all thoughts of the hunter, Stefan, everything, All problems were washed away as Damon took her in his arms.

Both of their breathing was ragged, unsure of what to do next.

Elena looked up at Damon.

He looked down at her.

His face lowered down to hers and her eyes slid shut, her lips puckering just slightly to meet his in the most anticipated kiss of their lives.

Elena could feel his warm arms circle her waist, pulling her in tight. the moment was just right and...

"What the hell is going on here?"

Jeremy walked in.


	2. Chapter 2

~Dear diary, last night was crazy.

When Jeremy came back I seemed to come back to my senses, and I stepped away from Damon, he didn't look too happy when out "moment" was broken. Jeremy however, was pissed off far worse than Damon was. They argued, Damon made up the story that I drank blood from a bag and then started feeling sick, calling him to see what he could do. He told Jeremy that the reason my nightgown was stained with blood is because just as he arrived, I got sick, he said the reason we were so close was because I was trying to talk to him, but I was too weak to talk loudly.

For some reason I went along with it.

But I don't think Jeremy bought it.

But today is different. I know I say that a lot, but I know it is. Today is the day I get over the other Salvatore

Stefan is coming over tonight, and Jeremy isn't going to be home. Tonight may be the night we can get our relationship back on track.

I just ordered Pizza, I hope Stefan won't mind too much, oh, I just heard a knock. Its either Stefan or the pizza. I should go.~

Elena wrote the last two sentences as fast (and messy) as she could before vampire speeding downstairs. That's one thing she really liked about her new self, her new speed. She opened the door to find a man in a simple top and jeans, a hat on with a company name she didn't bother remembering, and a box of pizza. She took out her wallet.

'Crap!' She thought.' I didn't make it to the bank'

Elena thought for a second. Maybe just a little compulsion wouldn't hurt.

Elena looked into the young teens eyes and concentrated, just like Caroline had shown her. She could feel her pupils dilating.

"Thank you. This pizza is on you, right?"

She smiled one of her most honest looking smiles. The boy shuddered at first, looking struck, and then just nodded.

"Of course it is, Ma'am. You have a nice night"

"Thanks, You too."

Elena felt a little bad, but reminded herself that it was just one Pizza. Nothing bad can happen because of that. Elena could stomach some real food now, Which she was quite happy about.

Soon there was another knock on the door and Elena got up from the living room chair to answer it. Stefan was there, smiling at her, a bottle of bourbon in his hands. Elena stopped, thinking maybe his brother had told him something about the night before. Stefan just chuckled.

"Damon's been complaining that you stole some of his. He wanted me to yell at you for it, since he hasn't had the chance to come over in a few days, so I thought I'd just buy you your own."

Elena almost sighed in relief.

"Well thanks, Stefan. Come on in, I got pizza and movies with our names on them"

Elena was extra peppy tonight, something she hasn't had in quite a while. She was happy to have the alone time with Stefan. They both deserved it.

Throughout the hours they ate pizza, drank bourbon, and watched a scary movie. Almost all thoughts of Damon were driven from her mind as she sat on Stefan Salvatore's lap. As the credits started, Elena lifted her head and looked into Stefan's eyes, seeing her reflection in them, the lighting very dim.

Slowly Stefan bent down to kiss her, and she had no resistance. Elena kissed him back with all of the passion she could muster, with everything being heightened it just made sense for her lust to have been too. Stefan could sense the change in her kiss and a small moan escaped his lips as she bit down onto his lip.

And then their lust was nearly tangible.

Stefan picked Elena up so her legs were strattling his hips as he vampire speeded them to the far wall, trailing wet, sloppy kisses down her neck and back up to her jaw. Elena tilted her head back, a soft moan escaping her lips as he started grinding against her. It wasn't the soft passion they had at the beginning of their relationship, they seemed to move past that. No, this was animalistic. Not love making, just a satisfaction of the need consuming both of them.

Elena untangled her legs from Stefan and turned him around, pushing him against the wall and kissing him, her tongue invading his mouth. Now this was a battle for control.

But even with Elena's newly found strength, Stefan was stronger.

He lifted Elena over his shoulder and brought her up to her room. She let out a small giggle, allowing herself to fall on the bed when they get there, pulling him down for a deep kiss.

Soon her shirt came off. Then her pants. They were both wrestling to get each others clothes off, trying not to disconnect their lips the whole time.

Stefan unclasped her bra, his thumbs gently grazing over her nipples as his hands moved down her sides.

Elena was in utter bliss.

Damon sat on Elena's doorstep, his elbows on his knees, a bouquet of roses on the cement by his feet. 11 real, 1 fake. Yeah, it was cheesy, but Elena liked that kind of stuff, but what did it matter? Elena was upstairs with Stefan

Of course, Damon could hear everything coming from Elena's bedroom, and it literally made his stomach churn.

What he wouldn't do for that girl, and she didn't even realize it. After last night, he was sure he finally won her heart, but now, he knew he didn't, and he most likely wouldn't.

He sighed, looking down at the pavement.

The second girl he had ever TRULY loved. Both had chosen Stefan. But why?

Elena had seen the bad side of Stefan, Damon knew she did, yet she still sticks with him.

But Stefan was allowed to rip people apart, and he'd get rewarded for it with Elena's sympathy? But any time Damon made a mistake, she wouldn't talk to him for weeks.

It was just his luck. Damon knew he should leave, but he just couldn't. The thought of them had him paralyzed in this spot.

'Stefan and Elena, the Mystic Falls power couple' He thought and made a slightly audible scoff. 'This isn't twilight' he thought. 'Vampires don't get happy endings.'

He got up and started to walk away before he heard something. Something of real interest.

Elena had sweat clinging to her body. One more second and she was going to get pushed over the edge, she knew it. Her breath was coming in small bursts, her heart pounding in her chest as she matched Stefan's movements. But she wasn't thinking of Stefan as her eyes slid closed, letting out an open mouthed moan, the wait being almost antagonizing for her. No, Elena was thinking of the other Salvatore, Damon.. How it would feel to be in bed with him.. to have his lips trailing over her neck, his stubble scraping against her cheek. How would it be to hear him panting in her ear as he tries to consume air.

Finally Elena was there, the last breath before her world dissolved in earth shattering pleasure, She caught a last glimpse of Damon run through her mind before..

"Damn it, Katherine!"

She heard Stefan yell out as he reached the climax of his night. She reached hers right after, but it wasn't enjoyable as she spent it pushing Stefan off of her.

"Katherine!?" Elena screamed, throwing her pillow at him as she sat up, gathering the blankets to cover herself. "What the fuck, Stefan!?"

Stefan was taken aback. He didn't even realize he was thinking about Katherine until he said her name.

"Elena! I- I didn't mean to, I-"

"Go to hell, Stefan!"

Elena knew she was just as bad as him, she was just.. quieter about it. But she never thought in a million years it would be HER he was thinking about. Elena thought Stefan hated Katherine, I mean, it sure seemed like it.

"Elena, please, let me explain"

"Explain what!? You.. you mind.. cheated on me"

"Mind cheated?" Stefan actually had the nerve to chuckle.

"Get the fuck out of my house" Elena glared, never having been this.. angry. This pure anger she felt right now made her want to snap his neck.. or worse.

Stefan stuttered before lowering his head, quickly dressing before giving it one last shot.

"Elena, please... i'm sorry.."

"No you aren't. Just get out"

Without another word, Stefan left Elena alone in her room, as tears formed in her eyes and her anger was replaced by a bigger betrayal than she had ever felt before.

Damon stood in the shadows as he watched Stefan leave Elena's house and drive off. He had heard every single detail. This should make him happy, shouldn't it? If Elena is free of Stefan, maybe he'd have a real chance with her. But his feelings weren't happy, victorious, or anything he should be feeling. He felt heartbroken. Heartbroken that Elena was upstairs alone, Crying herself to sleep. Heartbroken that there was nothing he could do about it without clueing her in to him spying on them all night. All Damon could do was sit. Sit and listen to the only woman he loved, cry her heart out.

Elena forced herself to stop crying. She didn't bother getting dressed as she made her way to the bathroom, knowing it would be only her home tonight. She got in the shower, washed her hair, and got back out, wrapping herself in a towel as she looked in the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, she looked pale, and her lips were chapped.

She put some toothpaste on her toothbrush and started brushing her teeth. After that she combed through her hair and washed the last traces of makeup from her face before applying some chapstick to her lips.

She slowly made her way back to her bed, changing the sheets, pillowcases, and blanket before getting in, still not getting dressed. She couldn't be bothered. She layed her head on the pillow and forced herself into a deep, dreamless, tear induced sleep.

When he was sure she was asleep, Damon made his way into Elena's house, tiptoeing up to her room. He left the lights off as he walked over to her bed, kneeling next to it, whispering.

"You don't deserve this.."

As tempting as it was to look under the covers, he didn't. He simply placed a small kiss on her heated forehead and whispered.

"well -I- will always love you.."


	3. Chapter 3

The next day Elena woke up in her bedroom, a yawn escaping her mouth as she looked around, remembering the events from last night. She sighed and got up, her body stiff.

She got dressed in jeans and a band tee, not really looking to impress anyone today. She brushed her hair, threw on a bit of makeup, and looked at herself in her full body mirror.

'Stefan is gone' She thought. 'He doesn't want me. He wants Katherine'.

She shook her head. This entire situation was unbelievable. Less than nine hours ago she was happy, in bed with Stefan. All was the way it should be.

Elena sighed and walked towards her window, looking outside. The sky was dark and gloomy, rain threatening to show. She didn't want to leave her room. She knew Jeremy was home, and Jeremy thought Stefan was staying the night. That meant she would have to explain to him why he wasn't here now. Which meant she would have to tell him everything. It wasn't that Jeremy wasn't old enough to know, or that she didn't trust him.. She just didn't want to talk about it. Not even to her Diary, which lay forgotten on her nightstand.

After a few minutes, Elena decided to just get it over with now. There was no reason to prolong the inevitable.

Elena made her way downstairs. Everything seemed very quiet, which meant Jeremy wasn't home yet. He must have just stayed over at Matt's longer than she thought they would. They both needed some guy time, to talk about all of the crazy things they had to deal with. They deserved it.

Elena tapped her fingers on the kitchen island, thinking of what to do now. She spotted the bottle of bourbon Stefan brought her the night before. May as well, she thought.

She poured herself a tall glass of the stuff. It took a lot to get a vampire drunk. She took a sip, the burning sensation being lessened due to her mood. She didn't really care about anything today.

She sat. She stood. She paced. What was there to do? So much of her free time had been consumed by Stefan, she hardly knew what to do with her spare time anymore.

'I'll read the paper' she thought. 'Maybe it'll have some vague clue on who the hunter is.

She went to her front door and opened it, trying not to shield her eyes from the sunlight. She went to walk down her front steps to get the newspaper from the end of her driveway, but stopped as she saw something unfamiliar below her feet.

She kneeled down to pick it up.

It was a bouquet of roses..

She counted twelve, the one in the center was made of silk.

She sighed, sure it was Stefan who left them here. Probably a petty apology, but she was not in the mood. She looked over the flowers, biting her lip as she noticed a small card attached to them.

She thought of what it would say. Probably "im sorry" or "I made a mistake" or even "take me back". She actually laughed slightly at the thought of her forgiving him this quickly for what he did.

But as she read it over, she realized it didn't say any of those things.

"I will love you until the last one dies, D"

She paused. 'D?' she thought. 'who could that be?' and then it hit her full force.

Damon!

Damon was here last night!? He must have come to bring her the flowers, and heard everything else that was going on..

And then it hit her harder. The full force of how much Damon actually cared about her. Damon had always been there. He had never done anything intentionally wrong to her, even though Stefan had.

What Elena felt now was a worse heartbreak than after she heard Stefan call out Katherine's name, or when she had to break up with Matt. Hell, she thought she felt worse now than she did when her parents died. But Elena knew one thing. At this very moment, Elena needed Damon more than ever.

Elena ran inside, roses still in hand, threw them on the counter and picked up her cell. She scrolled through the contacts until she found Damon's number and dialed it. But Damon didn't pick up. She called three times but there still wasn't an answer.

Elena bit her lip. Was it possible he was ignoring her on purpose? After last night did he even want to talk to her again? Her head was spinning. Who else did she have now? With Stefan gone who else was there to help her with being a vampire?

Elena knew she was being sort of stupid. She would just simply walk over there and ask to see him herself. There was no harm in that.

Elena grabbed her purse, checked her phone one last time before leaving it on the counter top, and walking out into the cloudy day.

Elena walked through the neighborhood she had grown up in. The neighborhood she knew and loved. She passed houses of her classmates, and her parents friends. She passed houses that belonged to the town council, and the sheriff. Finally she made her way down the street of the Salvatore boarding house, walking down the narrow roadway before making her way up their driveway. When she reached the front door she simply knocked.

No answer.

She knocked again.

Ah, finally.

The door opened and Stefan Salvatore looked down at her, a painful expression crossing his features. He didn't want to see her, that was obvious. His eyes were puffy as if he had recently been crying, and his good posture was lacking, making him look as if he couldn't care less about anything that was going on.

Elena cleared her throat and looked up at her ex boyfriend.

"Stefan... is Damon here?"

"No, I haven't seen him all night. I assumed you called him and he stayed at your place last night.. you know, since you two are best blood sharing friends now."

Elena scoffed. She should just leave. But if Damon wasn't here, then where was he?

"No, he didn't come over last night, actually. I have no idea where he is, but it's very important that I find him.. So if you find out where he is, can you please call me? Trust me, I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important."

Stefan simply nodded and Elena frowned, turning from him, walking back down the driveway and onto the street, having no idea where to look now.

Damon woke from an uneasy sleep only to feel a sharp pain in his chest like he'd never felt before. He tried to open his eyes but the darkness was penetrating his vision. Where was he?

He tried to steady his breathing, but it felt contained, as if he was in a small space with not enough air. He found the most simple movements caused him an antagonizing pain, his chest felt like it was on fire, the simple rising and falling of his chest making his mind go blurry.

Finally he lifted his hands just far enough to feel his surroundings. Wood.. wood.. more wood. It seemed like he was in a wooded box, like a casket.

He felt his chest for what was causing him all of this pain and he froze as soon as he found it. It was a splintery piece of wood, lodged from the back into the front, the sharp end sticking out upwards through his chest, the larger end on the part of his back he was putting the most weight on. He thought about how he could remove it. The wood was so close to his heart, that if he pulled it out by the smaller end, the larger end would pierce right through his heart. But since he was contained in such a small area, he didn't have the room to push it out the way it came either.

He tried to think of a solution. He lifted his hand and tapped his knuckles on the top of the casket, listening to the sound. If he was above ground, he could find a way to smash through the lid like it was nothing. But easily heard by the sound, he wasn't above the ground. He was under about ten feet of dirt.

Well shit.

Elena made her way to the grill, the only other place she could think of Damon going. She walked inside and looked around, spotting many familiar faces, but none of them were Damon's.

'Maybe he's just in the bathroom' She thought to herself as she made her way to the bar, compelling the man to give her some free bourbon.

She waited and waited, but Damon wasn't anywhere to be found. Elena listened to the other conversations in the bar. Some freshmen talking about high school parties, a young couple discussing marriage, but none of these everyday conversations even sparked Elena's interest. Her focus, was on two men dressed in black, in a booth in the corner of a room.

"And you're SURE he was actually one of them?" One man asked to the other. The other man, a blonde, nodded to him.

"I'm sure he was."

"And you staked him?"

"Through the heart. Yes. Just like you asked."

The blonde looked young, too young to be a vampire hunter.

"And did you find out his name?" The older man asked.

"Yes. It was Damon Salvatore. Brother of Stefan Salvatore."

"And how did you dispose of the body?"

"I buried it. Casket and everything, in the old cemetery up by wickery bridge. If somehow he survives the stake, by the time anyone finds him, he'll die of hunger." The younger man looked impressed with himself. Elena assumed it was his first kill.

"Good.. well I suppose it's time to go pay Stefan a visit now."

The younger man simply nodded and they walked out. Elena's head was reeling. She had yet another decision to make. She could go to the cemetery, praying that somehow Damon was still alive. Or she could run back and warn Stefan.

But although she had chosen Damon, this was a different circumstance.


	4. Chapter 4

Elena stood in spot, unable to move. She knew each second counted but she couldn't decide what to do. She knew the chance of Damon being alive was slim to none, but if there was any chance, she had to take it.

On the other hand, Stefan had been there for her a long time. She could make it to him and warn him in time. She could save his life.

Elena bit her lip, not knowing what she should do. She closed her eyes, trying to sort through her thoughts and emotions that were going crazy in her mind.

But she knew, even though it wasn't the best choice in her life, Damon had always been there for her. She had to go back for Damon.

She reached in her purse to try and find her cellphone, but then realized she left it on her kitchen counter top. Shit!

She quickly walked out of the grill, the air seemingly have gotten colder. She wrapped her arms around herself, knowing she had to wait until she was alone to use her real speed. She prayed that Damon was alive, it finally hitting her that it was a possibility that he was really dead, just as she was realizing her real feelings for him.

Her eyes watered but she forced herself not to cry as she walked into the forest, now able to speed off towards the old cemetery where the men said they buried Damon, praying the entire way that he was alive.

Damon's stomach churned, He already hadn't eaten in days, and the physical pain was making him weak and hungry. He needed some food, but he was trapped under what he expected was about ten feet of dirt. There was no way anyone was going to find him. He was going to die in this casket, hungry and weak. Regretting everything he never told the people he loved.

He never told Stefan how much he liked having him as a brother, how much he respected him for trying to do the "Humane" thing. He never told Elena how much he really loved her. He'd never have the chance to prove himself to her, and if he loved her back, He would never be able to ask her to marry him, which he had only even contemplated doing since he met her. He would never get to kiss her again, or hold her in his arms. He'd never get to see her look pissed when he does something wrong, or her appreciative look when he does something right. He'd never see Elena again. Ever. And the thought brought tears to his eyes.

Damon never cried, but who was here to see him? He let the tears fall this time, thinking of Elena and only Elena. He had a long life, but he had only just started LIVING. He felt for the stake in his heart. Maybe he should just pull it through and end this misery that was the end of his life. There was no point in living now, he had nothing to live for in these last few hours of his pathetic existence.

Elena ran like hell through the forest. She finally saw the edge of the cemetery. She looked around for a new grave site and found one, the dirt strewn around the grass by the grave. Elena started towards it, but stopped when she saw a man standing not far from that grave.

He was watching the grave, but he didn't seem to have noticed her yet. She walked to another random grave, sitting in front of it, pretending to be mourning, really thinking of a way to dispose of this man.

She looked over to him out the corner of her eye. She noticed a bulge under his leather jacket, she took in the shape and assumed it was a stake. He also had a revolver lodged in his boot, and she knew it would be loaded with wooden bullets.

So how in the hell was she supposed to get to that grave? He was intensely watching it, making sure no one got to it, which made her think that it was possible Damon was alive. She stood up and turned to her. May as well take the bull by the horns and deal with him the way Damon would for her.

She started to walk back the way she came, and he watched her. She made sure he thought she was leaving before blurring towards him. He looked shocked but managed to grab his stake before she reached him. She launched herself at him, adrenaline pumping through her veins, Knowing taking him down was the only way to get to Damon. But sadly, he was trained well, and he managed to lodge the stake in her lower stomach.

"Fuck!" she swore out loud at the pain that radiated through her stomach, making her insides feel like they were on fire. She didn't have a second thought as she grabbed the sides of his head and snapped his neck, letting him drop to the ground as she painfully pulled the stake out of her stomach.

She looked down at the limp, lifeless body on the ground. Her first kill. She had to admit, what she felt now was triumph. She never thought it would feel like this. But this was no time to revel in her first kill, she had work to do.

She turned to the grave and took a deep breath, prepping herself of what she may find. She didn't bring a shovel or anything, so she simply sunk to her knees and started digging. It was quick work and soon she scooped the last bit of dirt off of the top of the casket. She took a deep breath and unlatched the sides of the casket.

Elena opened the lid of the casket, holding her breath, then let out a sigh of relief as she saw his eyes open and staring at her as if he saw an angel, his chest rising and falling, but she let out a gasp as she saw the the splintery piece of wood sticking out of his chest. He coughed and she gasped.

"Damon!"

Damon looked up at Elena. He didn't even know if he was still alive, but it didn't really matter. What mattered was that he could see her. His chest was so numb now, he didn't even feel the steak, he coughed and looked into her eyes*

"E-Elena?"

Damon watched Elena's eyes filled with tears as she reached down for his hands, pulling him up. Now he could feel the steak, and the pain radiated throughout his whole body. He looked down at it and realized that his body was trying to heal itself around the wood. He went to pull it out from behind, but winced and stopped.

"Elena.." Damon was gasping for air now. "I need you to help me.."

Damon looked at Elena as she gulped and nodded, moving to behind him, grabbing the larger end of the stake.

"Just tell me what to do.."

"Just pull it out.. quick at straight.:"

"Damon, I don't think I can do this.."

"Yes you can. Elena, I know you can."

She bit her lip and nodded, pulling the stake straight out of his back. Damon let out an involuntary yelp of pain.

"Fuck! Elena.."

Elena dropped the stake and the wound instantly started healing itself before her eyes. She turned so she was in front of him, her eyes watering again.

"I thought you were.."

Damon didn't let Elena finish her sentence. He gently placed his index finger over her lips before stroking her cheek gently.

"Don't say it.. I'm not.. But how the hell did you find me?"

Elena smiled, telling him about her finding the flowers and going to look for him. She told him about all her overloading emotions, and how much she just needed to find him. She also told him about what she heard in the bar, and how she knew you were here. Finally she motioned to the body.

"I had to kill him.. but it was worth it to find you."

Damon smiled at her. A genuine, love filled smile, and tears filled his eyes, which shocked Elena to see. He cupped both her cheeks and crashed his lips against hers. There was no hesitation, just a passion neither of them could believe. A feeling of security, of rightness.

Elena needed Damon just as much as Elena needed Damon. At that moment they were eachother's, nothing else mattered at all.

They kissed for a few moments before pulling away and looking into eachother's eyes. They were one in that moment, and they knew, no matter what happened over the last year, they were meant to be with one another.

It was a few moments before Elena remembered.

"Shit! They're going after Stefan!".


	5. Chapter 5

Damon took a moment to register what Elena had said and then his eyes went hard. He knew it was going to be too late. By the time they got there they would have taken Stefan. There was nothing they could do. But then he looked down into Elena's eyes and his heart melted. They were so trusting, so innocent, he nodded and grasped her hand in his, lacing their fingers.

"We'd better hurry back then." Damon said, and Elena nodded.

They were no more than a blur as they ran back to the boarding house. Elena's fears of being spotted were not present anymore. She didn't feel like any harm could be dealt to her while Damon was here. As long as she was with Damon nothing bad could happen to her.

But her fears weren't for herself, they were for Stefan. Her ex lover and current boyfriend's brother. She pushed herself as hard as she could to keep up with Damon. He had been alive much longer and he was much faster. When she could see the boarding house she let go of Damon's hand and rushed forwards. Now she was faster than Damon, pushed by not only the will to save Stefan, but the need to.

Elena kicked the door in, even though it would be just as effective to turn the handle. She ran upstairs, her breath coming in short, exhausted bursts now.

"Stefan!?" She called out, but there was no response. She quickly swept all the rooms in the house, calling his name, but there was still no answer.

Damon ran in seconds after Elena. He looked around, listening to her call for Stefan, knowing he was right, they weren't going to find him. He walked into the kitchen, shaking his head. He knew Elena was going to be heartbroken and deep down he knew we couldn't lose his brother. He looked down at the kitchen table, finding a note written in a messy scrawl. He picked it up, frowning, reading it.

"Dear Miss Gilbert. As you know We've already killed Stefan's brother. If you want to see Stefan again, wait until tomorrow. Meet me by wickery bridge at the crack of dawn."

It wasn't signed. Part of him told him not to show this letter to Elena. It was a set up, even she would see that, but Elena was the type of girl who would go through anything for the ones she loved.

"Elena!" Damon called for her and she ran in to meet him.

"What is it? Did you find him?" She asked and he shook his head, handing her the note, speaking to her as she read.

"Elena, I think we both know this is a set up, but they don't know I'm still alive, so we have an advantage." Damon looked at her and she nodded.

"Alright. Well.. what's the plan?"

The next hour or so they talked about different ways they could attack or defend. What they came up with was pretty straightforward and simple to execute. Elena would walk to the bridge alone. They wouldn't hurt her until they were sure she didn't have back up. If she didn't see Stefan, that meant he was dead, she wouldn't go anywhere with them, she would run back into the forest where Damon would be hiding. As soon as Elena saw Stefan she was to call out for him, plead for his release and agree to anything they said, stalling them until Damon got there. At that point they would be distracted watching Damon and Elena would set Stefan free. Three vampires had to be enough to take on the hunters.

There were many holes in their plan but it was the best they could do. By now it was 6pm and Elena was already getting nervous about dawn. She walked to a large window and looked out it, thinking about Stefan. Damon walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Thank you.. for earlier." He said, sounding thoughtful. Elena nodded.

"It's not a big deal... I had to save you..."

Damon sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"You didn't have to. There was a huge chance I would be dead. You saved my life, and you had to kill someone to do it... so I'm thankful."

A small smile appeared on Elena's lips and she turned to Damon, looking up into his eyes and bringing her lips in to his in a soft, scared kiss. Damon kissed her back tenderly, truly greatful that she had saved him and now she was his.

Elena was first to break the kiss and she looked up at Damon with a real loving look, taking his hands and lacing their fingers together. Damon leaned down and kissed her forehead, she smiled again.

"Lets not think about tomorrow yet." Damon said as he pushed a piece of hair back from her face. "Let's just enjoy right now while we have it."

Elena nodded silently and smiled up at him.

Soon they were both upstairs in Damon's room. They were being slow and careful, unlike the last time she had sex. This wasn't just to satisfy a need, this was to show a love in a way nothing else could.

Elena kissed Damon slowly as his hands slipped under her shirt, moving up to unclasp her bra. Elena didn't resist, she just rolled on top of him without breaking the kiss so it was easier for him. When he got the clasp undone his hands wrapped back around to cup her chest in his hands. His eyes closed for a brief moment, unable to believe this was really happening and Elena bit her lip. Damon's eyes fluttered open again and his hands moved to the hem of her shirt, pulling it and her bra over her head.

Elena stared down at Damon, who eyed her chest before looking back up into her eyes. She bit her lip and leaned down, kissing him deeply as they swapped positions, now Damon was on top, Elena looking up at him. He leaned down and brushed his lips over her neck, leaving soft kisses down to her collarbone. Elena's hands found the hem of his shirt and he pulled his lips away from her skin so she could pull it off.

Now, both topless, Damon leaned back in for another kiss. Elena responded immediately, kissing back with all the passion in her body. He groaned lightly, hands fumbling with the button of her jeans as his tongue ran over her lower lip. Elena parted her lips, meeting his tongue with her own as he got her button and zipper undone. She arched her hips so he could pull her jeans down, and kicked them off when they were at her ankles. She repeated a similar pattern to his, and soon they were only in underwear and boxers.

The skin to skin contact made both of their breathing get heavier. Damon looked down at Elena and smirked, crawling down her body, kissing her bare skin as he went. Elena shivered, looking down at Damon, many feelings coming to her that she never experienced before. He stopped at her panty line and then bit right above. Elena writhed in anticipation as he took the hem of her underwear in his mouth, pulling her panties off with his teeth.

Elena was consumed with lust now as she watched Damon kiss from her ankle up to her hips. He gently spread her legs, smirking up at her deviously, placing a soft kiss on her clit before flicking his tongue over it. Elena let out a moan, along with a whimpering "please" as she looked down at him.

He smirked up at her, pulling his boxers off as he kissed back up to her neck, settling in between her legs. He positioned his hard length at her entrance before looking down into her eyes.

"You sure?" He asked, in a raspy, passionate, needy voice. Elena simply nodded.

"I'm sure."

"I love you." Damon murmured before leaning down and kissing her, passionately on the lips, sliding into her.

A gasp left Elena's mouth, followed by a soft moan. She arched her hips up in response to him and he smirked, starting to thrust into her. Elena matched each of Damon's thrusts as they increased in speed and depth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing him deeper. A small moan escaped Damon's mouth and he leaned down to kiss her.

Soon both of their pleasure was growing. Their thrusts quickened and Elena's nails dug into Damon's back, her head falling back as he kissed down her neck. His fingers moved to rub her clit, his thrusts continuing in his steady pace. Elena couldn't handle all of the sensation and pleasure Damon was giving her and let out a loud, open mouthed moan.

"Damon.. I'm close." Elena moaned, arching her back as he rubbed her harder, with more pressure.

"Me too.." Damon groaned, biting into her neck gently.

Elena's breathing quickened as she felt herself being pushed off the edge, calling out Damon's name as her vision went blurry, every sense heightened in the ecstasy of her climax. Damon quickly followed her lead, moaning out her name against her neck with his release into her. He thrusted a few more times to ride out their orgasms before pulling out, collapsing beside her.

"Wow" was all either of them could say as they fought to catch their breath, looking at one another. Elena was the first to make another move, kissing Damon gently on the lips. Damon kissed her back, softly and lovingly. After a few more minutes he spoke up.

"Are you tired?" Damon asked her, brushing a piece of hair from her eyes. She shook her head.

"No.. are you?" This time Damon shook his head.

"No... would you be up for a round two?"

Elena giggled and rolled on top of Damon, leaning down to kiss him.

A few hours passed, and by eleven they were drained. Damon layed, Elena's head on his chest, an arm draped around her shoulders, holding both of her hands. The blankets covered them, keeping them warm as they listened to eachother's heartbeats. It was so quiet, they could pretend nothing even happened with the hunters, and that the only thing they had to do when they got up was manage making it downstairs.

Perhaps they both knew that there was a possibility that neither of them would come home tomorrow. Maybe that was why they indulged in the extra pleasure sessions, or why they lay like this, both refusing to fall asleep.

Tomorrow was the battle they were both afraid to fight.


	6. Chapter 6

Elena Gilbert looked down on the scene below her, unable to fully comprehend what she was seeing. There lay the two men she cared the most about, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, at her feet, covered in blood with wooden stakes sticking out through their chests. A definite kill. Elena looked back up, into the cold eyes of a young blonde man, a smirk across his face as he held her brother, Jeremy Gilbert, by the sides of his head, snapping his neck before her very eyes.

Elena woke up, sweaty, gasping for air. She looked around at her surroundings and found herself in Damon's room, the memories of the night before coming back to her. She looked down at Damon who lay asleep at her side and smiled lightly. He wasn't dead, it had all just been a dream. She leaned down and kissed his forehead lightly, so he wouldn't wake up before lifting the covers and sneaking out of bed.

She knew no one else would be home, but she still didn't want to walk around the house naked, and she knew after that dream there was no way she would be falling back asleep. She slipped her underwear back on and went to Damon's dresser, carefully and quietly opening it, grabbing one of his t-shirts and slipping it over her head.

Elena made her way downstairs, not just to the main level but down into the basement. She opened up the big fridge and grabbed a blood bag from their stash, thinking, and then grabbing three more before walking back up to the main level. She placed three of the blood bags on the kitchen counter, keeping the one with her, walking into the living room.

She plopped down on the couch, half sitting half laying as she grabbed the television remote, turning it on, turning the volume down to the lowest setting so it wouldn't wake Damon. She looked up at the clock, it was three AM. She figured she'd wait an hour to wake Damon and they'd have an hour to go over the plan before they had to leave.

Elena ripped the corner off of the blood bag, downing it quickly. After she had started feeding from the vein more regularly, she could keep this down, although it didn't satisfy her the way the other way did. She watched the TV, a late night comedy show that she didn't find very funny, and by the time three thirty rolled around she was too bored to even watch. She flipped through the channels and eventually just turned the TV off. There wasn't anything worth watching on at this hour anyways.

She stood up, her arms wrapped around herself in a nervous stance, starting to thoughtlessly pace the room. She didn't notice Damon standing in the doorway.

He had put on a pair of sweat pants and looked at her a bit worried, knowing how stressed out she was about the next few hours. He had to admit, he was too. These next few hours could mean the death of any or all of them.

He walked towards her as she finally stood still, looking outside through a large window, her forehead pressed to the cool glass. He wrapped his arms around her and saw her jump in surprise before seeing him in the reflection of the glass, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.

"I didn't mean to scare you.." He murmured sleepily and she shook her head.

"It's fine, I just didn't expect you to be awake." She responded, turning around to face him. He smiled down at her.

"I woke up and you weren't there. I was scared they came for you." Damon moved a piece of hair from Elena's eyes as he spoke to her, looking down at her beautiful features. She gave him a soft smile.

"I had a bad dream... about today."

Damon pulled her closer and enveloped her into a hug which she easily relaxed into.

"Everything is going to work out, Elena."

And that was it of their conversation. Damon scooped her up and brought her back to the couch. She sat, curled up in his lap, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his steady heartbeat. He stroked her hair lightly, trying not to think about the possible scenarios for the day.

Soon four thirty came around and they gave each other a look before getting up and walking back up to Damon's bedroom to dress. Elena simply put her hair up, not bothering with makeup or anything like that. Her mind was on other things.

By five o'clock they were in the forest by wickery bridge, quickly going over the plan. Elena was to go to the hunters, who were keeping Stefan hostage. It was an obvious trap, but they thought Damon was dead, so Elena had a small advantage. Damon would be listening intently to everything they were saying. If Elena saw Stefan she was to call out to him and Damon would show up, distracting the hunters long enough for Elena to set Stefan free. Three Vampires against a few hunters should be easy enough work. If they didn't have Stefan, Elena was to book it back to the forest.

Elena was about to walk towards the bridge, the place the hunters specified to meet before Damon grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to him and bringing his lips to hers. She could tell he was scared just as much as she was. She kissed him back with a longing passion before pulling away. She knew she had to do this. Stefan had always been there for her. She leaned in and whispered "I love you" Into Damon's ear, not leaving him time to respond as she walked out of the forest and across the bridge.


	7. Chapter 7

Elena walked across the dew covered grass, her runners soaked by the time she reached the edge of the bridge. She stepped on the wood but didn't see anyone. She walked further, towards the other end of the bridge. Upon reaching the other side she noticed the two familiar men walking out of the cemetery, towards her. The older man held Stefan, the younger.. had Jeremy. Elena's heart skipped a beat as she remembered her dream. She blinked, remembering the plan her and Damon had come up with.

"Oh god, Stefan... Jeremy!" She put the emphasis on Jeremy's name so Damon would realize how worried she really was. The young blonde man laughed.

Stefan was held by the older man, weaker than normal which led Elena to believe he had been injected with vervain. He was easily secured with handcuffs, a stake pressed to his back in case anyone tried anything. Jeremy was held with his hands behind his neck, a plain knife pressed to his throat. The young blonde holding Elena's brother was the first to speak.

"One wrong move, girl, and I'll slit his throat!" The older man rolled his eyes as the younger spoke. He was obviously not impressed by his cockiness or his over confidence.

"Now, I believe what my partner meant to say" It was the elder mans turn to speak "Is that we are willing to make.. A trade."

"A-A trade?" Elena gulped.

"Both of them.. for you." He looked at her. It was clear it was his only offer, but Elena was still able to stall.

"Why me? Why am I so important?" Elena bit her lip, waiting for an answer.

"Because there is rumor of a cure. A cure for vampirism. If say, Klaus got his hands on it, what do you think he would do? Use it on you? Most likely. And once he had you human again, what could he do?"

Elena simply looked at him and blinked. A cure? That was impossible. She opened her mouth but shut it again.

"Ah, you see?" The man continued. "Vampires are hard enough to kill. We don't need thousands of Hybrids running around."

Damon stood under a tree, listening intently. He heard Elena's steps as she crossed the bridge. He heard her gasp as she reached the other side, and he most definitely heard her cry for both of their brothers. He didn't know whether to move or not, it was too easy for someone to kill a human. He quickly climbed up to a high branch, perching himself there so he could watch the scene play out.

He listened to the men talk to Elena. The young one he recognized as the one who staked him and buried him. It was a lucky shot. There was no way Damon couldn't take this guy if he had to. The other was more muscularly built, and older, which made Damon think that he was more than he seemed from the outside.

Damon wasn't as surprised as he should have been when he heard that the two hunters knew about the cure. There were always rumors going around about there being a cure. Damon didn't expect them to have any relation to the five, or have any idea about the tattoo maps, or the sword. They seemed to be simple vampire hunters, like his late friend Alaric had been, although these two didn't seem like they'd want to switch sides any time soon.

He watched Elena's facial expressions when they offered to trade her for them, and after explaining he watched her pause, and cursed silently as she nodded, stepping towards them.

As Elena stepped forward she looked up into the pale blue eyes of the blonde man. He grinned at her, a few crooked teeth here and there as he released her brother, Jeremy nearly growled at Elena.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Jeremy asked as he went to Elena's side, but the blonde man's hand snatched out as he grabbed Elena's wrist. She did not resist.

"Jeremy, run. To the forest. Now." Elena gave Jeremy a demanding look that begged him to trust her. He frowned, ran his fingers through his hair, and ran to the forest. Elena expected the hunters to intervene, but they let Jeremy go. Now Elena turned her head to Stefan.

"Now you let him go.." She said, and the blonde hunter just laughed, clasping a pair of cuffs around her wrists, the same kind Stefan wore. She pulled her hands, trying to break the cuffs, but they burned her hands when she tried. They must have been soaked in vervain. Either way, she could tell the metal was made for this. There was no way she was breaking out of them.

"You honestly think, a pair of vampire hunters would just set a vampire free?" He laughed, snorting a little in between. "we aren't THAT stupid."

Elena glared at how stupid she was. Oh well, there was no way she was getting out of this now. At least Damon and Jeremy were safe. But then, Elena's spirits were lifted, and sunken as she saw Damon walking up to them, Alone, coming to fight her battle.

Damon had it. When he saw Elena step forward he jumped right down from the tree, ignoring the light sting in his feet as he quickly made his way to the bridge. Half way there he ran into Jeremy, who asked if there was anything he could do to help, but Damon refused him, telling him to go back home and get a few bags of blood ready for when they got back.

Damon continued to the bridge, his pace slowing as he got to the other side, realizing he had no plan of action. But seeing Elena's hopeful eyes he knew he had to do something.

"Let her go, punk. In fact, I believe you should let them both go." Damon smirked, mock confidence shown on his face. The blonde man merely laughed.

"Oh you think so? And why would I do that?"

"Because I'll rip your heart out if you don't"

"And my last action will be killing your beautiful girlfriend. Or maybe I'll kill you, have a bit of fun with her, and then kill her? At least then I can ruin her for you in the other world."

Damon growled. He'd had enough. This man's cocky attitude reminded him of someone he knew.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Damon glared.

"Oh me? I suppose I'm no one." The man smirked as he said the last words. "My name is Ajax Salvatore."


	8. Chapter 8

It seemed as if the entire world went still. This psychotic vampire hunter? A Salvatore? Elena wanted to laugh at the thought. But as she looked into Damon Salvatore's eyes, her smile dropped. He believed Ajax. But it was impossible! There was no way! But Elena knew.. It was completely possible. When Ajax spoke, she recognized the authority both Salvatore brothers used when they spoke.

"Ah... and now the truth is out. You see, I lived up in the north-west of Canada my whole life. My parents both died before I could walk from a flu that worsened with the cold. I lived with foster parents until I was sixteen, and then I moved out. I had never known my real family, and I set out to track them down.

Damon, Damon. It wasn't so hard to find you. You have over fifteen multi million dollar pieces of land throughout the world, and they are all under your real name. I was surprised to find that no insurance company, or tax agency was the least bit curious of you having a property longer than you should even be alive. But soon I met Dragon here." Ajax motioned to the older hunter that held Stefan. "Dragon. He still has never told me his last name... but anyways.

Dragon and I met at a pub just south of Niagara falls. When I told him I was on the look for my family, he told me it was best not to. Because they were monsters. At first I was skeptical, but then he showed me the proof. He told me about Stefan's mood swings and Damon's habit to feed on whom ever he likes. It's disgusting Your entire nature is disgusting So.. Me and Dragon have come to rid Mystic Falls of the Salvatore brothers, and anyone else they may have turned. Especially little Elena here. And believe me, we've killed many vampires, and learned many things on our way."

Elena looked at Damon as Ajax spoke. He was looking for ways to get them all out, but from his expression, she knew he wasn't getting very far. If only she could help him somehow... Her hands were cuffed, but her feet were free. If she could catch him at a distracted moment she might just be able to kick him, and if she got him in just the right place, she might be able to earn her freedom. But what would happen after that?

She looked Damon in the eyes, as if to say 'stall him.'. She saw his very slight, almost unnoticeable nod of understanding as he looked back to Ajax.

"So have me and Stefan. I'm sure both of us would willingly give ourselves up... If you let Elena go. She can leave. She can never step foot in this town, hell, even this country. Just let her go. Alive."

Ajax laughed, shaking his head, his over confidence pissing both Elena and Damon off more and more

each second. Elena listened to Ajax, lining herself up and launching her foot back into his knee. The force struck him hard and shattered his kneecap, causing him to lose his grip on Elena. She moved at speed to Damon's side, who grabbed on to her handcuffs, ignoring the burning sensation. With their combined effort they managed to break the link between the cuffs, giving Elena control of her hands again.

Elena's next move was towards Dragon, who was looking at the scene, ready to stake Stefan if he made one wrong move. She blurred to the knife that lay on the grass next to Ajax (who was laying on the ground, shouting in pain) and grabbed it, wrapping one arm around Dragon's neck, pressing the tip of the blade to his neck.

"Let Stefan go."

Dragon struggled in Elena's grip, about to push the stake through Stefan's chest, but Damon blurred forward and grabbed it from him, throwing it to the ground and grabbing Stefan, helping him out of his cuffs the same way he helped Elena.

Elena was about to mercilessly slit Dragon's throat, when Stefan spoke up.

"Lets bring them back to the boarding house. We can keep them locked in the basement. Find out what they know and who they could have told."

Damon nodded in agreement with Stefan, and soon they were making their way back to the boarding house. Elena held Dragon by the wrists, and Damon merely dragged Ajax, who complained the entire way. They all went down to the basement, locking and securing them in the room that held vervain before. Ajax whined, sounding like a child who had just gotten their candy taken away.

Damon, Stefan, and Elena went back up to the main floor. Stefan went to shower and lay down, still being affected by the vervain in his system. Elena simply went to Damon, who wrapped his arms around her, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he brought them to her head, kissing her hair lightly.

"I was so scared-" Elena started, but Damon shushed her gently and pulled her to the couch, sitting her on his lap. She looked down at him, resting her forehead against his. His arms snaked around her waist and she leaned in to gently place her lips to his. Soon they were kissing, gently, as if being too rough would break the other.

Elena closed her eyes as they broke the kiss, resting her head on Damon's shoulder, realizing now how tired she truly was, she heard Damon whisper that he loved her before she started to lose consciousness, falling asleep in Damon's arms.

Elena was kissing Damon, slowly undressing herself. She smiled into his blue eyes, his hands all over her body. She tore her eyes away from his to pull off his shirt, and when she looked back up to his face, the eyes were there, but the blonde that looked back at her was not Damon. It was Ajax.

Elena woke up, panting, realizing she was now alone, laying in Damon's bed, extra blankets covering her. She sat up and looked around, no one around her. She got up and walked to the joined bathroom, looking in the mirror and washing the sweat off her face. What a weird dream. She walked back into the bedroom, yawning, still very tired, so tired she almost didn't notice Ajax himself sitting on her bed.

"well good morning, Elena." Ajax smirked and Elena screamed, backing up. Ajax furrowed a brow and walked towards her. Elena gasped.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled to Ajax, her back finding the wall beside the bathroom door. Ajax frowned.

"Elena... It's me..."

Elena blinked. She was sure just two seconds ago it was Ajax advancing on her, but now all she saw was Damon, looking worried.

"Elena, are you okay?" He asked, not stepping any further. Elena took a shaky breath and nodded, stepping into Damon's arms. He held her, and Elena let herself relax. She must have been over tired, that's all. She just needed some sleep.

"Come to bed with me? I'm having nightmares..." Elena said, sounding much like a young child. Damon nodded and kissed her forehead lightly.

"Of course, Elena." Damon whispered and picked her up, bringing her back to bed, covering both of them in blankets, and holding her in his arms until her breathing deepened and she fell into a finally dreamless sleep.

Ajax concentrated, sitting cross legged in the damned Salvatore's damn basement. Getting into the girls mind was easy, but the other two were a little harder to crack. Ajax knew though, before the daylight broke, he will have cracked them. It was true, Ajax was what you would call "human" but that just gave him the advantage of the doubt.

He was what some called a dream invader When you are asleep it is much easier to corrupt someone's mind. To make someone believe what you want them to. Ajax was quick to enter Elena's dream, and change the way she saw Damon Salvatore.

Some would call him psychic, but all he knew was that he didn't quite have the powers of a witch, but he had more than a typical human.

One think he knew for sure though, was that come the morning, Elena, Damon and Stefan would all be turned against eachother.


	9. Chapter 9

Damon Salvatore tossed and turned in bed beside Elena Gilbert. His dreams were his own personal hell, that from time to time he would get trapped in. Damon suffered of night terrors as a child, and over the years they had decreased in amount, but increased in content. The more he saw, the more things he had to dream about. Tonight his dreams favored his newly found family member, Ajax, and his new girlfriend, Elena. In any way it was possible to torture someone, Ajax was doing it to Elena, and there was nothing Damon could do to stop it. He was sweating in his sleep, mumbling and tossing in his sleep, not getting any rest, just a horror he couldn't escape until he woke up.

Elena woke up on the floor in Damon Salvatore's room. She rubbed her head which hurt a bit and looked up at the top of the bed, seeing the blankets toss and turn. Elena stood up and crawled back on the bed, looking down at Damon for a few moments before deciding to wake him. She placed her hands gently on his shoulders and shook him.

"Damon.. wake up." Elena said quietly as she shook her boyfriend awake. Damon's eyes shot open and he sat up, his face sweaty, panting for air. He looked over at Elena and seemed to sigh in relief, pulling her to him and wrapping her in a hug.

Elena hugged him back tightly, sighing lightly.

"Bad dream?" She asked, her arms still around him, stroking his hair lightly, her fingers playing with the more wavy hair at the base of his neck. Damon simply nodded, his arms tightening around her, Elena knew the dream must have been about her.

"Hey, its alright. It was just a dream. Go back to bed..." Elena said to him softly, which caused him to relax just a little bit. She kissed his forehead, and looked down at him as his eyes slid shut again. But a few moments later Damon's eyes opened again.

"I can't sleep." Damon said, quietly. Elena sat back up, reaching over to turn on the bed side lamp. She admittedly couldn't sleep either. Damon turned to her, he actually looked... frightened. Elena was surprised and she turned back to him, sighing.

"Was it really that bad?" She asked and he bit his lip in response. He was a vampire, why did a dream scare him? Elena leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"It's okay. How about we go check on Ajax and Dragon. Make sure they haven't escaped?"

Damon nodded and stood up, walking to his bedroom door. Elena got up as well and followed him as he walked down the stairs, which creaked lightly with each step. It was eerily silent as they made their way to the second staircase, walking down into the basement. They unlocked the room Ajax and Dragon were in and stopped.

"What the hell..?" Damon said as he walked into the room. The walls were smeared with blood and Dragon was on the floor, dead. Ajax was no where to be found. Elena was about to walk in as well when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She span around and let out a heavy sigh of relief when she saw it was only Stefan. But her relief didn't last long.

Stefan's hands wrapped around Elena's throat, and Elena was struggling. Stefan had a syringe full of god knows what, and was trying to jab it in Elena's arm.

Damon turned just in time. Stefan had Elena by the throat, a syringe in her arm. Damon tackled Stefan to the ground, only about a quarter of the tube had been injected into Elena's arm. He prayed it was only vervain and not werewolf venom.

Elena fell down to the floor and Stefan kicked up against Damon, but he couldn't take both of them. Elena's head felt like it was spinning but she stood up and did her best to blur to the other room where she knew there were chains and shackles. They doubled as did everything in her vision and she gulped, trying to steady herself before blurring back to Damon.

Damon had Stefan held down, but he was having a hard time with it. Elena rushed over and clasped the shackles around Stefan's wrists and ankles, hooking the chains to the walls before really collapsing to the ground.

When Elena woke up she was in Damon's bed. Every beat of her heart was agony and she groaned as she looked up at him, her vision fuzzy.

"It was only vervain..." Damon said, stroking her hair lightly as he looked down at her. "But it was a really concentrated dose... you'll be okay in a few hours."

Elena looked up at him, hearing each word with a slight echo. This was really strong vervain, but she couldn't relax. She sat up painfully, her voice weak.

"where's Ajax?" She asked, and Damon shook his head.

"I have no idea, Elena."

"we have to find him..."

Damon shook his head.

"we will, you just wait. When the Vervain is out of your system we'll see if we can get anything out of Stefan, and then we'll go look for him."

Elena nodded, sighing. She felt weak. She knew she had to feed. It would speed up her recovery. It seemed like Damon knew too, but he also knew that he couldn't take her out to find someone, and he didn't want to leave her. He didn't know if she was strong enough to stomach it, but he bit into his wrist.

"Elena..." Damon said, bringing his wrist to her lips. She looked up at him and gulped before bringing her lips to his wrist, starting to feed on her boyfriend.

Damon looked down at her and gulped, it felt good, really good. He tried his best not to moan, but failed as he stroked her hair. The act of a consensual feed could only be compared by sex between two lovers.

Elena drank until she was satisfied, and then pulled away, her vision already slowly focusing. She looked up at Damon, who wiped the blood from her lips. She smiled lightly and leaned up to kiss him. He returned her gentle kiss, and she soon pulled away.

"Thank you, Damon." She said, quietly and he smiled, stroking her cheek.

"It's no problem, Elena."

"I love you..." Elena smiled as she heard Damon say that.

"I love you too."

They layed there for about an hour and slowly Elena's vision returned to normal and the pain stopped. She sat up and turned to Damon.

"Lets go see Stefan." She said, sighing. Damon nodded and sat up as well, standing up out of bed, offering Elena a hand. She took it and stood up, but once she was steady she still didn't let his hand go. They walked back down the creaky stairs, hand and hand to the basement.

Stefan looked up at them from the floor when they walked in and growled lightly. He didn't seem himself at all as he looked up at them. His eyes seemed to have turned a more gray like colour.

"Go away." He said, glaring up at them. Elena was taken aback. Damon just sneered back at Stefan.

"Where's Ajax?" Elena asked, ignoring both of their sneers and growls. Stefan laughed lightly, darkly.

"I let master out. Master told me to destroy the ones named Elena and Damon."

Ajax smirked, standing on wickery bridge, looking out on the water. He was completely successful in influencing Stefan's dreams through his mind. Although Damon had woken up before Ajax could really get into his, but everything worked out just the same. Stefan had forgotten his emotional ties to Elena and Damon, and now was completely slaved to him. Ajax laughed audibly, soon he would have Elena and Damon. Because even if Stefan was unsuccessful in capturing or killing them, soon they would be coming for him.

And he would be ready.


	10. Chapter 10

Elena was stunned but then she understood. Ajax was getting into their minds. That's why she had seen Damon as Ajax the night before. Her and Damon must just be harder to crack.

Elena looked up at Damon, and he looked back at her, full understanding in his eyes. Stefan would be no help if he was under some sort of mind control. A sigh left Elena's lips as she tried to think of where Ajax could have possibly gone, and soon a thought came to her mind. She grasped Damon's hand in hers and pulled him out of the room, not wanting Stefan to hear.

As soon as they were out, Damon started to curse, but Elena tried to keep a hold of her anger. She looked him in the eyes.

"Damon, if Ajax really, 100% wanted us dead right now we'd be dead. He could have came for us when Stefan let him out, but he didn't. Which means he probably wants us to find him, so it wont be so hard to."

Damon bit his lip, thinking over what Elena had said. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes.

"Elena, I want you to stay here." Damon said to her, pleading with his eyes. "You'll be safe here."

"What, so I can let you get hurt again? Did you forget Ajax was the one who staked and buried you? There's no way I'm letting you go alone." Elena replied, a frown on her face, crossing her arms. Damon knew that he wasn't going to win this battle so he just quietly and reluctantly went to the basement fridge, opening it.

"Fine, but drink this first." He took out two blood bags, handing her one. She nodded and they leaned against the wall, slowly drinking the blood. They were both nervous, although neither of them would admit it.

Once the blood in their bags was gone they slowly made eye contact. Elena nodded very slightly and stood up straight again, taking the empty bag from Damon and walking upstairs to throw it out. Damon followed her, sighing as he walked up the stairs, out of the cold basement, into the kitchen with Elena.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time... please stay." Damon pleaded one last time, but Elena was set on an idea and there was no way to tear her away from it.

"Damon, we've already been through this. I'm coming and that's my final say."

Soon Damon and Elena were outside, the cool air blew Elena's hair and whipped around her clothes. The ground was dry and leaves crackled under their feet as they walked, talking about the possible places he could be.

They checked the grill first, but there was no luck there. Not that Elena expected he would be there. She had an idea of where he was, but she didn't want to go there. But no matter how much she tried to avoid it they ended up walking down the road that lead to wickery bridge.

Ajax was waiting. He had watched the sunrise, and throughout the morning he had stood. He watched the clouds or looked at the water. He paced the bridge, his steps making an echoing noise on the wood. He waited, and waited. He didn't think it would take as long as it did for Damon and Elena to clue in on where he was. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. But perhaps they were late on purpose. Maybe they didn't want to face him. Maybe they were scared.

Well they were right to be scared. Ajax had so much... rage inside of him. He had expected to find a normal line of Salvatore's, ones that would take him in, let him feel included inside the family.

Sure, he could have went about meeting the surviving Salvatore's a different way. He could have accepted them, and hoped that they would accept him, and maybe they would. He knew Stefan and Elena would welcome him with open arms, and eventually even Damon may come around to seeing him as family.

Ajax could picture it clear in his mind, but he stuck to the facts. Damon, Stefan, and Elena were monsters. No one deserves to live forever at the cost to others. Drinking human blood was wrong.

Soon Ajax's waiting ceased, as he saw two figures emerge from the forest, the way Elena had come just the day before. He was down one man, but in a way, so were they. It was true that Elena and Damon had the advantage, but Ajax himself didn't come unarmed. He had, in his coat pocket, three vials of werewolf venom, a vervain grenade, two wooded stakes (for the two vampires that were walking towards him) and a gun, loaded with wooden bullets. Whether it be the werewolf venom or the stakes, he would find a way to kill the two that were now, standing at the edge of the bridge.

Damon stopped in front of the blonde boy that stood in front of them. The bastard that tried to kill him, and wanted to kill his girlfriend and his brother. The dick that was taking over his brother's mind, and turning him into something he wasn't. Damon didn't care if they were related, he wanted Ajax dead.

"So, you two finally decided to show up." Ajax said, the same sarcasm and annoying cockiness in his voice. It made Damon's hands turn to fists, his knuckles white with anger, which just made Ajax laugh. Damon was about to advance on Ajax, but Elena grabbed his wrist, holding him back, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Why are you here? What can you possibly get out of doing this to us? And what the hell did you do to Stefan?" Elena's own voice surprised herself. There was so much authority in it, more than she would expect from herself. But this man... this boy, was threatening everything she held close to her.

Ajax watched her for a moment, looking in her eyes questioningly before the corners of his lips curled up in a very slight smirk. Elena's eyes narrowed as he spoke.

"Well, you've asked three questions, and I'm assuming you know answers to two. But I'll answer your questions anyways. Why am I here? I'm here because I learned my only found family ties were to two vampires. What do I want? I want to kill every last one of you because it's not fair that you get to live forever, but people like my parents have to die so young. It's not fair that I had to lose my parents and you three don't even get any lasting Damage from what should kill you!" Ajax got a bit worked up as he spoke, but when he continued his voice was a bit more calm. Steady.

"As for your last question, Stefan is under control because I want him to be. I accessed his mind through his dreams, and planted many suggestions in his mind. Now he thinks he was born to serve me. It is a skill I trained hard to learn."

Elena looked at Ajax, and cursed under her breath. She knew he wasn't lying, and if this was the case, she didn't know how she could get Stefan back.

"Cant we work out some sort of deal?" She asked. "We can give you money.. or whatever else you want... Just let Stefan go. He doesn't deserve this, we didn't do anything wrong!"

"Didn't do anything wrong? Maybe you haven't killed anyone yet, sweetie, but they both have. And so will you. You think I'm going to let their acts go unpunished? Then you're dreaming." Ajax looked at them and pulled the gun out of his coat. He watched Elena and Damon's eyes widen as they saw it. He just had to wound them enough so that he could stake them, that's all.

He quickly turned the gun on Elena, and shot, a direct hit to the stomach. He wondered if a shot to the heart would kill them, and was going to try it on the girl, now sunk to her knees in the agony wooden bullets caused a vampire, but Damon stood in the way.

"Stop!" He said, in the most pleading, painful voice Ajax had heard come from his mouth so far. "If it's family you want, or companionship, go to Italy! Did the name 'Salvatore' not clue you in!? I can get you addresses if that's what you want, just don't hurt her!"

Ajax considered this for a moment before shaking his head. Sure, Damon told him some valuable information, but he didn't need addresses Now he knew to look in Italy, that was all he needed to know. He smirked and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the vervain grenade and the stake.

"Now..." He started. "I suggest you get away from the girl for now. Things are about to get messy."

Damon looked up at the twisted look on Ajax's face. It sickened even him, the vampire, who has ripped out many hearts, and taken many lives. Ajax smirked and hooked his finger in the pin of the grenade.

"Stop... I'm warning you." Damon glared at Ajax, getting to his feet as Elena dug in the wound painfully, trying to pull out the bullet.

Damon advanced towards Ajax, but Ajax stood his ground, smirking at Damon.

Ajax watched as Damon advanced towards him, and the real horror stepped in. He realized that there was no way he was getting out of here alive. Damon was old, strong, and he knew every trick in the book. Ajax had no chance. But he could still do his family line a favor He could do the entire world a favor He could kill Elena Gilbert.

It may not be the end of all vampires, but it would stop Klaus from creating any more hybrids, and Ajax stood here, staring death in the face, he realized that was all he had left to do. He pulled the pin out of the grenade just as Damon tackled him to the ground.

The vervain grenade rolled down the bridge, and Ajax's eyes followed it. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as he looked up into Damon's blue eyes, cold with rage. And that was the last thing he saw before Damon Salvatore, his own flesh and blood, snapped his neck.

Damon's eyes quickly left Ajax's now dead body. Elena was struggling, the bullet taking a lot out of her, with her being a young vampire and all. Her eyes didn't leave the grenade and she stumbled backwards, tripping over a rock and falling back to the ground. Damon was just about to blur to her when there was a deafening sound,

The grenade went off.

* * *

Alright guys! SO the next part will be the last in this fan fiction! if you have any specific requests (A certain conversation, or subject of conversation. A refrence to any other episode) Or anything else, just comment or private message me! x I'll update asap


	11. Chapter 11

Elena hovered between sleep and consciousness before forcing herself to fully wake up, looking around the room. She remembered her close call with Ajax, and tried to sit up quickly, but winced at the feeling. She looked down at her arms, which were blistered, but they most certainly could have been worse.

She knew Damon must be alive, he was the only one who would have brought her back here, so she called out for him. She waited impatiently, and soon Damon walked through the doorway, looking scared for her, sighing in relief, which must mean she was healing. He walked over to her and looked her in the eyes.

"How are you feeling, Elena..?" Damon asked, brushing a piece of hair from her face. She looked into his eyes.

"A bit sore.. but I'm okay." Damon frowned as she spoke.

"You need to feed..." Damon looked at her worriedly, and she nodded.

"I know... but first, tell me what happened."

Damon nodded and told Elena all about how he had tried to stop Ajax, and did succeed in killing him, but was too late to stop the vervain grenade from exploding. He told her how even though he was weak from the fight, she was in far worse shape, so he fed her his blood, which let enough of her wounds heal that he could carry her, but it weakened him tremendously. It was difficult to get them both to the house, but when he finally did he washed her up a bit and dressed her in some more comfortable clothing, and let her rest while he went back to clean up the body (after a well deserved blood bag of course).

Elena looked down, realizing for the first time that she was in different clothing. She smiled up at Damon, god she loved him, his small amount of stubble, his hair that was now in his eyes just slightly, his lips that were tilted up in a slight smile, happy that she was alive.

And that was when she knew, everything was going to be okay. She had Damon, and that was everything she had ever needed, even though it took her a long time to realize it.

Now they had forever, and although she knew there was no possible way they both could live forever, she still hoped. She still prayed that an eternity with the one you loved was possible. Because an eternity with Damon Salvatore was heaven wrapped up in its own little way.

~ one hundred and fourteen years later~

Elena had escaped from the party, just for a quick breath of air, and she held her white dress up the best she could. She stood by the fountain outside the most expensive rental hall in France, the most romantic country in the world. She smiles lightly as she looked up at the stars, thinking about how long it took her and Damon to finally decide to wed. It made sense though, why rush things when you have forever?

She was happy with the hundred and fourteen years that had gone by. Her and Damon had their fair share of fights, that they always made up from in days. Elena had broken Damon's shell that he often kept himself concealed in, and she got him to talk about his family, his far past.

Much had changed in the world over the years, but the weddings were near the same. The rest of it, Elena realized, didn't matter as much. The third world war had come and gone, many rebellions around the world, the fashion changed constantly, but when it boiled down to it, it was the same place. Same religions. Same types of people.

When Damon had proposed to her she was struck. She knew she shouldn't have been, but it had still come as a surprise. She had come to the conclusion that there is no way to prepare yourself for a surprise like that. It was on a beach, in Florida to be exact. They had gone for a vacation after a run in with hunters. It was just as the sun was rising, from a long night of skinny dipping, and enveloping each other in their love. They had just finished getting dressed before Damon sunk to one knee. He had said he meant to do it at sun SET, but they had both gotten quite distracted.

Elena and Damon's wedding was not a small event in any way. They had invited nearly every vampire they had ever met in their extended lifetimes, as well as many humans they had just recently met, although the wedding party was not as extensive. Caroline was Elena's maid of honor, and she had two other vampires, Rebekah and another she had met over the years, Ashley, as bridesmaids Damon's best man was Stefan (who has been dating Rebekah, who helped him get through another ripper phase about 80 years ago) and in his opinion, that was all he needed for his side of the wedding party. But the crowd was extensive.

They had the ceremony in a park by the water, and it was decorated to feel like a real fairy tale. Rose petals scattered the entire park and special gazebo's had been brought in, decorated with various flowers. The seats were formal white leather, and they were getting married by a famous writer, who at the time was Elena's favorite The entire ceremony had most likely cost what an average couple spent on a house.

Although housing was not on their mind, because joined they owned over 50 properties around the world.

Elena was so consumed by her thoughts, that she didn't realize her newly made husband walking up behind her until she felt his arms snake around her waist as he let his head rest on her shoulder, being careful not to ruin her curls.

"Its a beautiful night.." Damon said, looking up at the stars. Elena nodded slightly in agreement, a smile coming to her lips as she looked sideways to her husband. She loved him more and more each day, and today, she didn't know how she was going to contain all of that love.

"A beautiful night, to end a beautiful day, in a beautiful city, with my more than beautiful new wife." He continued, moving a stray curl out of her eyes. She smiled at him and he leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"We should go back inside... This party IS for us." Elena said, as she took one of Damon's hands from around her waist, lacing their fingers together.

"And tomorrow we officially start the happily ever after." Damon smiled, holding her hand tight.

And Damon and Elena Salvatore walked back into the hall, ready for whatever life threw at them, because as long as they had eachother, nothing could stand in their way.

~The End~


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